It being the 200th anniversary of Waterloo we decided to do a game based on the assault on Hougoumont, though the orchard and across the road to the wall and hedge.
These where our own large scale skirmish rules. But we had made two new rules. One that you had to send all orders by ADCs which made things more interesting, and as it was part of a huge battle a shell would hit the field randomly every few turns.
The board set up
The British lines. The 4th coy form a two deep line defending the hedge making the bulk of the army, the light coy have one detachment on the gate and another on the wall on their right flank, while the KGL rifles where in the orchards ahead of the main line. The grenadiers where kept in reserve.
The thin red line listening, silently, to the drums and shouts of the French. With their staff and colours behind them.
The KLG Bugler glancing though the trees sees the colours and columns of the French army, dismissing the wish that he was behind the hedge or better the wall, and calls out for the men to get to their places.
The French army sent to take the farm and orchard.
On the left a large assault column of polish line, headed by some more polish in skirmish formation. In front on the staff table a three deep line of grenadiers, beside them a troop of light hussars, and in front of them some dismounted polish lancers. The French also had a cannon flanked by another assault column but of French line this time. Finally behind them some French heavy cuirassiers in reserve.
With a blast of drums trumpets and shouts the French began the advance.
The British check their locks.
The locals ...
The British colonel quickly sends his orders in response to the great French advance.
A sudden boom drowns the drums for a moment and a round shot rips through the light company at the gate.
The rifles open fire on the polish lines, bringing down ranks of blue and yellow clad men.
A French ADC gives the first assault order, for the polish column to take the hedge held by the 4th coy. The polish officer looks from his order to the expectant faces of his men, with out a word, this is going to be a bloody, but ever so glorious fight!
With a roar of drums the formation moves off.
The French column marches forward on the far side. But their lines come under heavy fire, men falling from their ranks with motionless faces and new red medals on their chests. But they are unable to return fire as they have no orders to fire at will and advance into the smoke with the utmost bravery.
The grenadiers move up to the right to try to hold off the French line. With their colours, and bandsmen playing.
Their colonel riding past encouraging them on to great feats of valour!
The French advance keeps marching in, the French line just coming up to the road and the polish line skirmishers coming up to the wall on the far side of the road.
The orders "to fire as soon as in range" finally arrive to the French line, the ADC had been chasing them all the way across the field!
The second light company detachment move up to the orchard and start to fire on the French as they march forward doggedly into the smoke.
corpses lie in bloody and moaning heaps in the French wake...
The light coy give another blistering volley in to the enemy ranks, sending more men falling to the ground with their white fronted uniforms reddened. But the French are content to exchange shots with the feeble line of red coats.
The fusillade the French give in return is nothing short of devastating, sending the whole front of men rank tumbling down to the earth.
But the British right is not lost yet! with the sound of bands men playing and the flapping of bright colours and the ready lines of the men of grenadiers could hold off the French unceasing advance.
But the grenadiers are not the only reserve moving on the field of battle. The cuirassiers have their orders to move forward and enter the fray!
The French line follow up their huge volley with a decisive bayonet charge into the remains of the light company!
The French with a cry of "vive l'empereur" thunder straight into the British line! But the battle is too much for the French, with over half their men lost, little damage done in combat to the light company and the grenadiers fresh and eager less then a few yards from them they broke!
The remnants of the light company pursue the broken infantry men, cutting them down in droves.
Things are looking black for the French army. A shell narrowly misses the French grenadiers and an ADC.
The French general surveys the field, what can he do...ah yes! the gate! Take the gate and that would divide the British force in two. Send the grenadiers and cavalry to take it and all would not be lost...
The British grenadiers advance on the right they could hold the orchard.
The heavy cavalry, their cuirass, helms and swords flashing and glinting, these men could do anything!
The polish line, their front line of skirmishers all shot down, and their column shredded by the British line infantry, keep a steady march forward.
The red coats continue to volley anything in range.
The hard pressed Poles, with a great rush, charge the hedge, their officer leading the way over the barrier with pistol and sword in hand, shooting his way through!
The hedge had now turned into a messy hand-to-hand combat with Poles and British taking heavy casualty's.
But with the rest of the British line pouring shots into the Polish column, they broke under the pressure and pulled back, having inflicted more casualty's on the British then their French counterparts.
Headed by the music of "La Victoire est a nous" the French grenadiers, with the light cavalry and dismounted cavalry skirmishers in support, march down the road onto the gate!
The Polish lines reform, have not yet received orders to stop assaulting, prepare for anther suicidal attack.
The French cavalry mass and the cross roads for a well timed charge.
The grenadiers march straight down the road into the ready lines of red coats.
The British grenadiers move up into the orchard and seeing the lines of French cavalry form square, their colours in the centre.
With an order from their lieutenant the whole line, the light company and grenadiers opens up on the French grenadiers from either side into their flanks. Undeterred the grenadiers march through the horrendous fire, their men covering the road so completely that you can not see it.
Only a quarter of the grenadiers make it though the volleys and charge home, disappearing into the smoke.
The red coats keep up their fire.
The cuirassier officer seeing that if the red coats keep up their steady fire they will give the grenadiers no hope of taking the gate. So thinking quickly he orders the whole troop to wheel round and charge!
The heavy cavalry, with the high clear blast of a trumpet, thunder towards the 4th centre company.
The cavalry crash into the hedge, hewing down the line infantry in a bloody swath. Caught out of square with nothing to hide behind but a hedge the red coats suffered a bad mauling.
Their line badly weakened, the 4th centre company fire a point blank volley into the faces of the cavalrymen, bringing down half their number. The Polish once again are repelled on the left, and the grenadiers also saw off the remains of French on the right.
Of the twenty five men who charged the gate, only five of them came running out wild eyed, broken and leaderless, from the smoke. Less then a quarter of them.
The light cavalry, and the reformed heavy cavalry, massed together and recharged the line.
The red coats received their orders to, pull back and form
square to late, they had nothing to do but present and fire.
The volley had great effect and broke the cavalry.
The brave ADC who had led the charge lay among the fallen.
The cavalry regain control of the horses (and themselves) the other side of the orchard.
The shooting and skirmishing with the dismounted cavalry continues.
The officer of the light hussars, the last to leave the fight and the first in, turned on his fellows and asked if "they called themselves Frenchmen!" and ordered them to recharge the line.
The Grenadiers and light coy fire on the dragoons who now marched down towards the gate. With more horrific casualtys to the French.
The British hold on in square for the next charge.
The French commander surveys the field, he sees six or so of the poles, and absently wonders why they are sending these men back to him from the main body who by now must have taken the right, he also sees the cavalry charging the remains of the British centre, he knows that the grenadiers and dismounted cavalry failed to take the gate, and he hopes that by braking the enemy line he could win the day, swiftly and without to much loss. If only he had just moved his staff closer he could have seen what was happing, but every order he sent was coming to late.
The grenadiers and light company charge the dismounted cavalry, none of them escape.
The final charge of the hussars is too much for both the 4th and the light cavalry, the horse men broken flee the battle, and the infantry rushing back disordered.
The infantry who had held for the whole battle looked as if they might flee and end the game. But the captain of the company sized the white faced drummer boy and shouted to him to play the rally, his face not changing the boy, two officers and the colours stood firm amidst the running men. The soldiers seeing the colours and hearing the drum and calls of their commanders to "think of England" rush to their flag reforming and marching up to the wall cheering.
A great British victory!
The French had lost their whole army and with but ten men hardly had en escort for the eagle.
none of the French men had fled the battle though and had all been lost on the field of battle to guns and steel.
